USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. I, 1834-1848 > Part 64
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John W. Grim was born in Ohio in 1820. He settled on French Prairie near Butteville. I have a valuable manuscript by him entitled Emigrant Anecdotes, which treats in an easy conversational style of the events of the journey overland, his settlement in Oregon, the Cayuse war, the Canadian French, etc.
George La Rocque, a native of Canada, was born near Montreal in 1820. At the age of 16 he entered the United States, and like most Canadians, soon sought employment of the fur companies. Being energetic and intelli- gent, he became useful to the American Fur Company, with whom he re-
637
IMMIGRATIONS COMPARED.
Pacific state. They realized that this had already
mained 8 years, finally leaving the service and settling in Oregon, near his former friend, F. X. Matthieu, on French Prairie. When the gold discoveries attracted nearly the whole adult male population of Oregon to Cal., he joined in the exodus, returning soon with $12,000. This capital invested in business at Butteville and Oregon City made him a fortune. He died at Oak- land, Cal., Feb. 23, 1877. Oregon City Enterprise, March 8, 1877.
Ashbel Merrill died at Fort Hall, his wife, Mrs Susannah Sigler Merrill, and children pursuing their way to Oregon. Mrs Merrill was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, March 20, 1800. She was married to Ashbel Merrill April 23, 1823, in Ross Co., Ohio, and moved to Illinois, and thence in 1847 to Oregon. Their children were William, George, Mary A., Emerit, Lyman, Electa, Alvin, and Lyda. Six of these resided in Oregon, chiefly in Columbia Co., and had numerous families. Mrs Merrill has celebrated her 82d birthday. St. Helen Columbian, March 31, 1881.
Joseph Carey Geer went from Windom, Conn., to Ohio, in 1816. The family removed to Ill., and from there to Oregon. The founder of the Ore- gon family of Geer was born in 1795. He settled in Yamhill county in 1847, and in the number of his descendants has outdone the Canadians, there being of his line 164 on the Pacific coast, all honorable men and virtuous women, besides being physically people of weight. Portland West Shore, Feb. 1880.
Ralph C. Geer was the pioneer nurseryman of Marion County. He also taught the first public school in the section where he settled, having 30 pupils in 1848, all but 4 of whom were living 30 years afterward-a proof that the climate had nothing to do with the fatal character of the diseases which car- ried off the natives in early times. Geer planted apple and pear seeds to start his nursery in the red soil of the Waldo hills, which he found to be excellent for his purpose. His father also put an equal amount of apple and pear seeds in the black soil of the Clackamas bottoms, but was disappointed in the returns, which were not equal to the Waldo hills, where R. C. Geer has had a fruit farm and nursery for more than 30 years.
Henderson Luelling and William Meek, immigrants of 1847, took to Ore- gon a 'travelling nursery,' which was begun in 1845, by planting trees and shrubs in boxes 12 inches deep, and just long and wide enough to fill the bed of a wagon. In this way, protected by a frame to prevent cattle from brows- ing them, 700 young trees were safely carried across 2,000 miles of land, and set out at a place called Milwaukee, on the Willamette River, below Oregon City, having been taken out of the boxes at the Dalles, and carefully wrapped in cloths to protect them from frost or injury by handling during the transit from the Dalles to their destination by boat. The experiment was success- ful, and Meek and Luelling were the first great nurseryman of Oregon, and afterward of Cal.
John Wilson drove to the Willamette Valley a number of choice Durham cattle, from Henry Clay's herd, at Blue Grass Grove, Ill., and also some fine horses, greatly to the improvement of the stock in the valley. J. C. Geer also drove a fine cow from this herd.
Stephen Bonser, who settled on Sauvé Island, drove a herd of choice cattle, which improved the stock on the Columbia River bottoms.
Luther Savage took to the Willamette Valley a blood race-horse called George, whose descendants are numerons and valuable.
A Mr Fields drove a flock of fine sheep from Missouri, which he took to the Waldo hills. Before getting settled he and his wife both died under a large fir-tree, with the measles. The sheep were sold at auction in small lots; and being superior, the Fields sheep are still a favorite breed in Oregon. Headrick, Turpin, and Mulkey took a flock of fine sheep. Turpin's were Saxony. This lot stocked Howell Prairie. R. Patton took a large flock to Yamhill County.
Mr Haun of Haun's Mills, Mo., carried a pair of mill buhr-stones across the plains to Oregon.
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POLITICS AND PROGRESS
been done, and came to gather whatever advantage was to flow from it to their generation.
A. R. Dimick carried the seeds of the 'early,' or ' shaker blue, ' potato from Mich., planting them on his farm in the north part of Marion Co. From these seeds sprung the famous Dimick potato, the best raised in Oregon.
Mr Watson of King's Valley, Benton Co., drove some short-horn stock to Oregon. The above notes are taken from Geer's Blooded Cattle, MS., a valu- ble contribution on the origin of stock in the Willamette Valley. See also his address before the pioneer association for 1879, on the immigration of 1847; see also Salem Or. Statesman, June 20, 1879.
John E. Ross was born in Madison Co., Ohio, Feb. 15, 1818. Emigrated with his parents to Ind. when 10 years of age, and to Ill. when 16 years old. At the age of 29 he started for Or., and was capt. of his train of forty wagons. In the Cayuse war which broke out soon after he arrived in Or. he served as lieut and capt. He resided for some time at Oregon City, engaged in various pursuits. When gold was discovered in Cal. he went to the Feather River mines, and in 1850, after having returned to Oregon, explored in the southern valleys and in northern Cal. for gold, discovering several rich placers, known as Yankee Jim's, Wambo Bar, Jacksonville, etc. For a numbers of years he was almost constantly engaged either in mining or selling supplies to miners; and in 1852 again commanded a company who went out to fight the Indians on the southern route. In the winter of 1852-3 he was married to Elizabeth Hopewood, of Jacksonville, theirs being the first wed- ding solemnized in that place. They have 9 children, 5 girls and 4 boys. When the Rogue River war broke out, in 1853, Ross was elected col., and again in 1855 was elected col. of the 9th reg., and commissioned by Gov. Davis. He was a member of the ter. council in the same year; and in 1866 was elected to the state leg. When the Modoc war broke out, in 1872, he was commissioned by Gov. Grover as brig .- gen. in command of the state troops. In 1878 he was a member of the state senate from the county of Jackson, where he has resided for many years. The Salem Statesman, in remarking upon the personal appearance of Ross, describes him as having a well-shaped head, pleasant face, and a reserved but agreeable manner Ash- land Tidings, Dec. 13, 1878. One whole night I spent with Ross at Jackson- ville, writing down his experiences; and when at early dawn my driver summoned me, I resumed my journey under a sickening sensation from the tales of bloody butcheries in which the gallant colonel had so gloriously participated
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE WHITMAN MASSACRE. 1847
SAVAGES AS A HANDIWORK OF THE CREATOR-THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN BETTER MADE-BUT THEY ARE NOT SO MUCH WORSE THAN WHITE MEN, WHO ARE BAD ENOUGH-RIVAL CLAIMANTS FOR THE REWARDS TO FOLLOW THEIR CONVERSION-PORTENTOUS CLOUDS HANGING OVER MARCUS WHITMAN- STRANGE HE CANNOT SEE THE DARKENING SKY-THE NATIVES MADDENED BY THE WHITE MAN'S DISEASES, AND BY THE COMING-IN OF SO MANY TO TAKE FROM THEM THEIR LANDS-ATTITUDE OF CATHOLICS AND PROTES- TANTS-RIVAL ROADS TO HEAVEN-THE SAVAGES PREFER THEIR OWN WAY-AND THEREUPON THEY PERPETRATE A MOST HORRIBLE DEED.
THE origin of Indian wars is always much the same. Mother Nature is a capricious parent and feeds and clothes her children indifferently well. In 1805 Lewis and Clarke saw the Columbia Valley tribes at their best. They had apparently attained to as much com- fort and were as healthy and powerful as under the cir- cumstances they could be. Could they have remained in that condition for generations, there is no reason to doubt that they would have continued to enjoy such peace and prosperity as belongs to savage life. Nor would it be contrary to the course of things to expect them to advance morally and intellectually, even while living under such hard conditions. The savages of the upper Columbia were very good men, for savages. It is true, they were thieves, and if their natural benevolence prompted them to relieve the necessities of the white strangers, they rewarded themselves the first opportunity.1 Thieving was a
There is no generosity in an Indian that I have ever seen in all my experience.' Strong's Hist. Or., MS., 66. One might say the same with equal pertinence of white men.
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640
THE WHITMAN MASSACRE.
legitimate means of securing themselves against want, and lying only a defence against discovery and loss.
When the pleasing ceremonies of the Catholic religion were introduced, giving them under certain restrictions the right of appeal to a superior intelli- gence and power, who would have compassion on their sufferings if they conformed to requirements which their reason showed them to be just, they seized will- ingly and even joyfully upon the prospect. After practising these forms for several years with remark- able constancy, and finding themselves better off than before, inasmuch as they were more at peace with each other, and enjoyed further the pleasures of human society and intercourse with something beyond the reach of the senses, the race from which they under- stood this beneficial religion to be derived began to make its appearance among them.
The first feeling that is awakened by the contact of the two races is covetousness. There are men who have everything desirable, and pretend to what they persist in calling the devil's gift, the knowledge of good and evil. The Indian wished to steal, to take these things at once, as soon as he saw them or learned their use; but was restrained by fear of the consequences.2 Then came to him in this dilemma the offer of knowledge, which he immediately seized upon as a legitimate means to the end he coveted, the possession of property. The offer of knowledge was accompanied by the tender of a new religion; but to that no objection was made. What they knew of the white man's religion was good; why should more of it harm them ? If it made the others wise, powerful, and rich, why not adopt it? Thus there was no difficulty
2 Rev. Thomas Condon, at the Dalles, going away from home with his fam- ily, left a domesticated native in charge of his house. Returning, he found his servant sitting outside the house, shivering in the cold; and on asking him why he did not remain by the comfortable fire, was told that the tempta- tion of seeing so many useful and desirable things, together with the oppor- tunity of appropriating them, had been so tormenting to him, that he had voluntarily banished himself from their presence rather than take them and subject himself to the consequences.
641
THE GENTLE SAVAGE.
about introducing missionaries. Without doubt, there was a strong desire on the part of the natives to be taught. The mistake their teachers made was in believing it to be a proof of their spiritual suscepti- bility, when it was, in fact, an evidence of a natural emulation, to put themselves on a footing with the superior race. In this matter both teachers and pupils were deceived; the savage in expecting to ac- quire in a single life-time the civilization which was the slow growth of unknown ages; the missionary in believing that he could graft on this wild stock a germ whose fruit would not be tinctured with the bitter sap of the uncultivated tree.
Having once entered into relations of teacher and learner, it was not easy to dissolve them, unless by violence. The longer they remained in this position the more difficult it became. And yet in 1847, and for many years before, it had been evident that if a failure of mission usefulness was not certain, success in that direction was doubtful. The reason of the failure sprang in a great measure from the character- istic covetousness of the aboriginal, and his inability to understand why it was that he could not at once become the equal of his teacher. Here his self-love was mortified. He began to suspect that his teachers were governed by selfish and sinister motives in in- truding into his country. The more white men he saw the more this conviction grew. They did not all practise what the missionaries taught; and why then should he ? Was it not all a scheme to get possession of his country ? They were losing faith in everything when the Catholic fathers began to interfere 3 with the Protestant missions, reminding them of the good times when they were all Catholics, and no one had disturbed the old harmony of their lives.
It was difficult to control indolent, impatient, jealous, and overbearing savages, even when they were most
3 I refer here to the visits of the priests several years earlier. There was at this time no Catholic mission in the Walla Walla Valley.
HIST. OR., VOL. I. 41
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THE WHITMAN MASSACRE.
strongly animated with a desire to be made acquainted with the white man's civilization. But the moment a controversy appeared among the white instructors, and it was observed that they denied the validity of each other's beliefs, and especially that they denounced each other as false teachers, the task became tenfold greater. The suspicion of the savages once aroused that some kind of deception had been practised upon them, it was not possible to allay it, particularly since so many circumstances confirmed it. A. division, as I have previously shown, had almost immediately taken place, the Cayuses and Walla Wallas generally choos- ing the Catholic religion, and the Nez Percés the Protestant.
The mercenary nature of the aboriginal to which I have just referred led him to be governed somewhat by the example or advice of the traders to whom he brought his furs, and of whom he procured such goods as he most needed or desired. Where the teacher and the trader were of the same faith, it was easy to control, in appearance, the views and conduct of the natives. But where the trader was one thing and the teacher another in religious matters, the native according to his nature followed the trader. This had been illustrated at Fort Walla Walla, where while Protestant Mckinlay was in charge Whitman had been able, though not without difficulty, to restrain the violence of the Cayuses, which broke out with in- creased force when Catholic McBean replaced him.
Ever since the return of Whitman, in 1843 from his unsuccessful mission to the American board, he had lived over a smouldering volcano. Year after year an army of white people came from east of the Rocky Mountains, on whom the aborigines looked with distrustful anger. It was true, they did not tarry in the Nez Percé or Cayuse country, but hastened to the Willamette. Yet how long should they continue to come in such numbers before the Willamette would not hold them ?
643
SIGNS OF DISCONTENT.
From the immigrants the Indians stole horses and cattle, and pillaged and vexed them in various ways, while knowing well enough that these offences were deemed worthy of punishment, and were against the laws they had themselves subscribed to. The immi- grants, being advised, bore these depredations as well as they were able, seldom coming to blows or retalia- tion, trading with them for vegetables or grain, and sometimes selling them cattle which they coveted. There was, indeed, nothing of which they could justly complain, their hostility proceeding rather from envy and suspicion than from wickedness innate in the red man more than in the white.
They were angry with Whitman because he did not leave the country, because he raised grain on their land and sold it to the immigrants, because he had mills and comfortable houses, and every year added to his facilities for reaping greater profits from his residence among them. This had been their tem- per all along; but in 1847 it had seemed to take a more aggressive form, either because they had been told that the United States then claimed sovereignty, or because in their own minds their disaffection was fully ripe, and the sword, so long suspended, was ready to fall.
As soon as the immigrants entered the Cayuse country at the foot of the Blue Mountains they were informed by Spalding of the unfriendly disposition of the Cayuses, and advised not to travel in small com- panies.4 That this was timely counsel subsequent events proved.
Whitman was at this time on a visit to the lower country to bring up machinery for his grist-mill, in order to make flour for the immigrants.5 So convinced was he that an outbreak must occur before long, that, as I have said, he purchased of the Methodists their
+ P. J. Ponjade, in Brouillet's Authentic Account, 90. Ponjade said that Spalding inquired anxiously whether the U. S. dragoons were not coming.
5 Palmer's Wagon Train, MS., 28-9; Grim's Emigrant Anecdotes, MS., 5.
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THE WHITMAN MASSACRE.
station at the Dalles, from which they were willing to retire notwithstanding its prospective as well as present value, for the same reason-the fear of Indian troubles. This purchase was made in the spring of 1847, or at all events before the last of August. Waller was at that time contemplating a removal to the Willamette Valley,6 and Whitman, when bringing up from Vancouver his milling machinery, early in September, left his nephew, Perrin B. Whitman, at the Dalles, in company with a man from the Willa- mette Valley named Hinman.
It would seem from these arrangements that Whit- man did not consider the Dalles Indians dangerous. The Dalles besides was within two days' travel by canoe of Fort Vancouver, which was a point in its favor as compared with Waiilatpu. It must forever trouble the student of history to reconcile with his characteristic good sense in ordinary matters Whit- man's persistency in remaining at his station when repeatedly threatened by the Cayuses and remon- strated with by McLoughlin for his temerity; and Gray's verdict, that he possessed a great obstinacy, seems justified.7 There were, it is true, good reasons for wishing to remain. It was another case of the domination of the temporal over the spiritual. The Walla Walla Valley had been his home for eleven years. He had expended much labor and money upon improvements. He had taken rather high-handed measures with the American board in refusing to abandon the station in 1842-3, and did not now like to acknowledge himself in the wrong. He had hopes from the discussions in congress that he might be able to hold on until the United States should send an Indian agent to his relief, and until the promised ter-
·
6 Or. Spectator, Sept. 2, 1847.
Hist. Or., 108. Palmer says: He was going up with his machinery to put up a flour-mill, just as he intended, and if they continued their hostile policy he was going to break up that mission, abandon it, and go down to the Dalles, and make that his headquarters.' Wagon Train, MS., 29. This was what Palmer learned from the doctor himself whom he met on the Umatilla.
645
AFFAIR AT THE DALLES.
ritorial organization and land law should secure to the missions each their mile square of land, which would be lost by abandonment.
But there still remains a question of whether it was a justifiable determination, under the circumstances, to remain and imperil, not only his own life, but the lives of all those associated with him, and possibly in- volve the colony of the Willamette in savage warfare. That he did this with his eyes open to the danger is clearly apparent. For even while he was transporting his mill to Waiilatpu the Cayuses were committing acts portending an outbreak.8 Blood had been spilled at the Dalles, as soon as the first party of ten men arrived at that place, or on the 23d of August.
This affair was with the Dalles Indians, who had stolen some property from the camp of the white men. On making complaint to Waller, they were advised to retaliate by taking some Indian horses and
8 John E. Ross, an emigrant of 1847, describes the attitudes of the Cayuses and the Walla Wallas. He met Whitman on the Umatilla, who advised him to use great caution, which advice he followed by encamping early, taking the evening meal, and then, when it became dark, moving to a secluded spot away from the road for the night to avoid being molested and getting into an affray. After leaving the Umatilla he met a small party of natives, who appeared morose, and on the third day came to a place where it was evident an attack had been made. Beds, books, and various articles were scattered about and destroyed. Alarmed by this proof of hostility, his party, consist- ing only of men, travelled by night, and on coming to the mouth of Rock Creek, a branch of John Day River, were met by some Columbia River In- dians, who notified them that there was trouble before them. About two miles from the crossing, in a cañon, they found four families who had been robbed of their cattle and stripped of their clothing. Six women and some children were left naked. They had, however, rescued a bolt of white mus- lin, out of which they had hastily made coverings, though they offered little protection against the cold air of evening. The outrage occurred while the men were absent from the wagon looking for the stolen cattle, and the perpe- trators were Walla Wallas. Ross' company remained with the destitute families till another train came up, giving their blankets to the women and making them a bed, first building a fire on the sands to warm a place for them to lie upon. Ross' Nar., MS., 4-6. The names of the families were Franklin, Rodgers, Warren, and Hoyt. Crawford's Nar., MS., 55. A peti- tion was before congress as late as 1879 to reimburse Mrs Rodgers, then old and blind, for losses amounting to $2,500, incurred by the robbery of her goods on this occasion. The petition set forth that John Rodgers, his wife Margaret, Nelson Hoyt, and his wife Mary, emigrated from Illinois to Oregon in 1847, and that while at the John Day River they were attacked by savages, and robbed of goods, money, cattle, and one wagon, to the amount above stated. St Helen Columbian. Crawford's Narrative, MS., says that Mrs Rodgers stood in the opening of a wagon and defended it with an axe.
646
THE WHITMAN MASSACRE.
holding them until the property was restored. The Indians attacked in consequence ; there was a skirmish, a white man and a chief were killed, and several on both sides wounded; while four white men fled to the mountains in a panic, and were lost for several days, endeavoring to discover the trail to the Willamette Valley.9
So alarmed was Waller that he sent for Abernethy, superintendent of Indian affairs, to quiet matters, and then hastened to overtake a company which had passed a few miles west of the Dalles, and request them to return and protect his family and the wounded men.10
A party did return, and Abernethy also came, who succeeded in procuring an audience with the principal chiefs, whom he induced, by paying them for the dead native, called Equator, to restore the property of the immigrants, and promise better behavior. But whether by these, or by the Walla Wallas and Cayuses, small parties of strangers continued to be plundered, and the property cached in the hills far away from the travelled road.11
Whitman made a visit to the Dalles during the two months the companies were passing between the Blue and Cascade mountains. On his return from this journey, which Peter W. Crawford, to whom I
9 The young man killed was named Sheppard; he was from St Louis County, Missouri. A Mr Parker was seriously wounded, and a Mr Aram less seriously. Or. Spectator, Sept. 2, 1847.
10 T'Vault, in Or. Spectator, Sept. 2, 1847. T'Vault, Barlow, and Foster were on their way to the Dalles when they met this company of 16 wagons August 28th, under the command of Bowman, some of whose men returned to the relief of Waller.
11 James Henry Brown, an immigrant of 1847, and author of several man- uscripts in my collection, in his Autobiography, MS., 20-5, a work from which I am able to gather much excellent information, gives an account simi- lar to that by Ross, of the treatment of his train by the Cayuses. Geer, in his Waldo Hills, MS., 2, mentions that his wife nearly lost her life by an Indian at the crossing of Des Chutes River. Grim, in his Emigrant Anec- dotes, MS., 5, says that the Indians were extremely insolent to the immi- grants, and behaved in a belligerent manner on the Umatilla; and that Whit- man, who met a large body of the immigrants there, asked them to tarry for a day, and delivered an address to them, prophesying an Indian war, and giving them advice. It is certain that he was aware of the danger. It is also certain, considering the numbers and mixed character of those who here sought a new home, that they were forbearing toward the Indians in an ex- traordinary degree.
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